With air filters and weekly wipe-downs and vacuuming, NASA goes to great lengths to keep the International Space Station clean so that astronauts stay healthy. But astronauts still often experience health problems like immune dysfunction, skin rashes and other inflammatory conditions. One reason may be because the ISS might be too clean, a new study…
The tiny worm Caenorhabditis elegans has a brain just about the width of a human hair. Yet this animal’s itty-bitty organ coordinates and computes complex movements as the worm forages for food. “When I look at [C. elegans] and consider its brain, I’m really struck by the profound elegance and efficiency,” says Daniela Rus, a…
Humans lived under the leafy canopy of a West African rainforest by at least 150,000 years ago. Previously, the oldest secure evidence for humans living in African rainforests dated to about 18,000 years ago. The earliest human rainforest presence in the world had been placed at about 70,000 years ago in Southeast Asia. Now, new…
Sugar is a siren song to many people. But some friendly gut bacteria might help you resist its lure. At least that’s what ads for some probiotics claim. For years consumers have been bombarded with supposed health benefits of taking probiotics: improve gut health, get more energy and “feel lighter.” Some also claim to reduce…
Air-BorneCarl ZimmerDutton, $32 On March 10, 2020, 61 choir members rehearsed in a church hall in Skagit County, Wash. As they sang, a microscopic germ wafted through the air. Before the month’s end, 58 members were infected and five fell gravely ill. Across the United States, the virus wreaked havoc. Within weeks, thousands of people…
Frigid water helped paint Mars red and may have shaped a vast coastline, two new studies into the planet’s history reveal. Scientists have detected a possible ancient beach in Mars’ northern hemisphere and identified a water-containing mineral responsible for the planet’s rosy hue. The findings reveal details about conditions on Mars when the planet last…